Micromorphological investigations at Scaloria Cave (Puglia, South-east Italy): new evidences of multifunctional use of t
- PDF / 44,190,053 Bytes
- 21 Pages / 595.276 x 790.866 pts Page_size
- 32 Downloads / 180 Views
(2020) 12:28
ORIGINAL PAPER
Micromorphological investigations at Scaloria Cave (Puglia, South-east Italy): new evidences of multifunctional use of the space during the Neolithic I. Rellini 1
&
M. Firpo 1 & E. Isetti 2 & G. Rossi 3 & J. Robb 4 & D. Pian 5 & A. Traverso 6
Received: 10 September 2018 / Accepted: 20 December 2019 # Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Scaloria Cave represents one of the most extraordinary examples of elaborate cave use known in Neolithic Italy. It became famous thanks to the spectacular evidence for the ritual collection of stillicide waters discovered in the Lower Chamber. Recent excavations in the Upper Chamber have uncovered traces of both habitation and ritual deposition of human bone dating to three or more phases of the Neolithic, implying an occupational use of the cave in addition to its function as cemetery. A micromorphological sampling program was implemented to reinvestigate the stratigraphic succession of the Upper Chamber of the cave, where most of the cave’s human use took place and where all systematic excavations have been conducted. The micromorphological evidence and new absolute dates attest use of the cave for stabling activity in the first half of the sixth millennium BC, corroborating the human-goat/sheep cohabitation, while also confirming the ongoing use of the cave for non-funerary purposes throughout the middle Neolithic. Finally, the contextual and spatial analyses of the sediment helped in reconstruction of the site’s structure. Keywords Micromorphology . Post-holes . Combustion features . Ovicaprine stabling . Sedimentary crust . Neolithic
Introduction The human use to which a cave can be put depends on a number of factors, of which two of the most important are its size and shape. The day-lit areas of caves and rock* I. Rellini [email protected] 1
Department of Earth, Environment and Life Science (DISTAV), University of Genoa, C.so Europa 26, 16132 Genoa, Italy
2
Istituto Italiano per Archeologia Sperimentale, Via di Vallechiara 3/11, 16125 Genoa, Italy
3
Museo di Archeologia Ligure, Villa Durazzo-Pallavicini, Via Ignazio Pallavicini, 13, 16155 Genoa, Italy
4
Department of Archaeology, Cambridge University, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3DZ, UK
5
Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio per le Province di Barletta-Andria-Trani e Foggia, Via Alberto Alvarez Valentini 8, 71121 Foggia, Italy
6
Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali, Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici della Liguria, Polo Museale della Liguria, Via Balbi 10, 16126 Genoa, Italy
shelters could be used for both economic and ritual use, whereas the deep area was used at all and then only for ritual purposes. Although open caves often exhibit evidence of both economic and ritual use, this rarely appears to have been simultaneous (Tolan-Smith and Bonsall 1997). In the Mediterranean, caves and rock-shelters were often used for pastoral activities (Angelucci et al. 2009; Karkanas 2006) as well as for cult or ritual activities,
